candabear17
February 17th, 2013, 08:33 PM
This is the story of the greatest and kindest man I've ever known. He was my best friend and always will be. He was born in Washington. His dad used to beat him and his mom constantly until one day, when he was 6, his mom left. She just took off and left Richard alone to take all the beatings. Shortly after that, his dad began molesting him and it eventually escalated to rape. He never told anyone, but he didn't have to. When he was 12, his 6th grade PE coach noticed all the bruises on his body while he was changing. The coach immediately reported it and he was removed from his father's care. Richard went to foster care while his dad went to jail. He had no family, no friends, no one to talk to or be there for him... By the time he was 13, he began using hard drugs like meth, heroin, and cocaine. He ran away a lot. One day he ran away and no one came looking for him, so he moved to Vegas. He heard from a friend of his mom's that she had come here and he wanted to find her. He never did find her... Instead, he couch hopped for a couple years. He eventually got clean at 15 years old and got a job. He never attended high school so he had all day to work. After a year of working 1 full time job and 1 part time, he had gathered enough money to pay 6 months of rent up front, and he rented his own house; only a block away from where I was living at the time. He was still a part of the party scene which is how I met him. The night I met him, I fell in love with him. His eyes were so beautifully blue and filled with emotion. We talked for so long about everything. I immediately opened up to him. I trusted him wholeheartedly from the start. The girl that I was originally there with had passed out and was laying on the couch with her head in my lap as I continued to talk to Richard. Later on, the host of the party offered to talk her up to his room so she could sleep on his bed and we wouldn't have to worry about something happening to her. He carried her up the stairs and Richard & I continued talking. About 20 minutes later, we realized almost everyone had left. We also realized that the host hadn't returned yet... I went up to his room alone where I found her spread out on the bed, half naked, with him on top of her. I pushed him off but he choked me and smashed my face into the wall. Even after I fell to the ground, he continued to kick me in the head, chest, and stomach. I have no doubt in my mind that if Richard hadn't intervened, I would have died that night. I would up basically living with Richard after that. I had my own key to his house and my own room, but I never slept in there. I always slept in his bed with him. We never had any kind of sexual relations, but we were closer than siblings. He fell in love with a girl named Jess. They got engaged and she got pregnant almost as soon as she moved in. The loved her so much and I know she loved him too. I know he was excited for the baby. It was a boy. I cried the day that Richard told me what they were going to name him. Cori. My brother, Corry, died before I was born. Richard was the only one who understood how I felt about him. We were both outcasts in our families and in the world. We were both looking for someone. I had always thought that if my brother had lived, I might not have felt so alone... I still do in a way... At the time that all this was happening, I was still on drugs. I had formed a serious addiction. One night at Richard's house, I overdosed. I came very close to death. He told me that if I didn't quit, I couldn't be around his family. He didn't want Cori in that kind of environment. I refused and he stopped talking for me. That's when I started cutting. After about 2 months, I called him and he picked me up. I stayed at his house for 2 weeks while I went through withdrawals. He stayed home from work for the first week, and Jess stayed home the next because her maternity leave had begun. When I was finally feeling better, he brought me home. He told me he was so proud of me and that he knew I had made the right decision. That night was great for me. The next day though, was the worst by far. Richard sent me a text that read, "Come downstairs. Now." He was already parked out front and I got in his car. He didn't say anything but we drove to his house. I followed him into the house where he screamed at the top of his lungs and fell to the ground crying. Jessica had gotten into a car wreck. She was okay, but Cori was dead. She never came home. They never could fix their relationship after that and they broke up. Jess committed suicide 3 years later. About 4 months after Richard and Jess broke up, Richard moved back to Washington to restart his life. He told me that if he ever wanted to forget about Vegas and move on; if he ever wanted to be happy again, he had to cut every part of his life here, including me. The only time he ever came back, was for Jess' funeral. I suspect that's when he started doing drugs again. He never said anything to any of us (his Vegas friends). I later learned that he told one of his friends about me. The guy called 8 of my friends trying to get a hold of me the day that Richard overdose. One of my friends called me and I came over to her house. An hour later, Richard's friend called again and we learned he was dead. I stayed in contact with his friend for a while. He told me that Richard talked about me constantly, but never said anything about Jess. I think it was too painful for him. Richard's friend told me about the funeral; only 4 people showed up; and he sent he a copy on the funeral flyer along with a funeral coin. Funeral coins are giving to close family members of the deceased, but Richard didn't have any. I was the closest thing to it... I cant put into word the pain I feel from missing him. I loved him more than anything in this world. The only relief I get is from the knowledge that he's at peace now. He can't suffer any more. That's all I've ever wanted for him.
May there be peace in Heaven
Richard Greyson
11-4-91 ~ 1-28-11
I will love you forever.
May there be peace in Heaven
Richard Greyson
11-4-91 ~ 1-28-11
I will love you forever.